For decades, Combined Metals has been rolling, slitting, polishing, blanking, drawing, and edging stainless steel and specialy alloy strip for global distribution. Elgiloy Specialty Metals provides high performance alloys in rolled precision strip up to a meter wide, as well as, precision drawn wire. Gibbs Interwire brings carbon, stainless, and specialty alloy wire distribution and additional slit coil capabilities to the group.
Founded as Combined Metals of Chicago (CMC) in 1971 as a joint venture between Cyrus Tang and Walter Hauk, CMC grew to become a premier family of companies. The Combined Metals Service Centers, along with Elgiloy Specialty Metals and Gibbs Interwire, distribute and process rolled precision strip, foil, slit coil, sheet, blanks, and wire. We also coil-to-coil process polished strip and edge.
In 2023, we changed the company name to Combined Metals Company, LLC to better reflect our global footprint.
In 1971, Combined Metals of Chicago (CMC) (now Combined Service Centers or CSC) opened as a precision slit coil service center. Coil-to-coil polishing was added along with blanking, cut to length, and edge processing. CSC processes stainless steels and specialty alloys for many industries including Automotive, Appliance, General Fabrication and Stamping, Flex Metal Hose, Food Service Equipment, HVAC, Energy, and many more.
In 1983, Combined Metals of Michigan (CMM) (now Combined Service Centers) a precision slit coil service center was opened.
Elgin was acquired in 1988 by Combined Metals to reroll side cuts for CMC. In 1989, ESM expanded their markets into aerospace and oil and gas. It took two years to acquire the necessary accreditations to supply these industries. Over the next five years, Elgin would continue pursuing additional accreditations, including Rolls Royce, opening up the European markets. With processes in place to supply over 75 alloys including titanium, Elgin/Sycamore is a premier re-roller and redraw manufacturer.
Today, ESM is known around the world as a premium supplier to the aerospace, energy, automotive, medical and commercial applications industries.
ESM-Elgin/Sycamore Accreditations Include: NADCAP, AS9100, ISO, Nuclear, GE, Pratt and Whitney, Rolls-Royce Sabre and more.
Hampshire was established in 1997 and became operational in late 1998. In 2002, Walter Hauk sold his shares to AK Steel, forming the current partnership NMLP/Cleveland Cliffs. Hampshire was built to support CMC as well as other high-volume accounts in gas hose, automotive and general commercial applications. With a forty-inch-high speed rolling mill, Hampshire has the capacity to roll six to eight million pounds monthly for a total shipping rate of four to five million pounds based on the product mix. Hampshire processes both 300 and 400 series stainless in a variety of gauges, widths and finishes to meet the most demanding applications. Recently, in order to expand into aerospace and other emerging markets, Hampshire added a quality lab which is A2LA and AS 9100, ISO, and NADCAP accredited.
ESM Bristol was acquired in July 2021. As of November 2022, the facility, which includes the rolling mill, tension leveler, slitter, and Ebner furnace, is fully operational and AS9100 approved. AS9100 approval permits Bristol to process high performance alloys in addition to general commercial stainless steels.
From one small operation in Connecticut in 1956 to a network of strategically located metal service centers stretching across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; Gibbs Wire & Steel kept pace with continually changing market conditions, meeting the needs of the growing North American metalworking community for over six decades. In 2019, Gibbs joined forces with the Combined Metals family of companies.
In 2021, Combined Metals, through its subsidiary Gibbs Wire & Steel Company LLC, purchased the assets of Interwire Products, Inc. (Interwire), the leading distributor of spring wire in North America, merging the assets to create the newly formed Gibbs Interwire.
Today, Gibbs Interwire is a distributor of specialty wire and strip in stainless, carbon, and specialty alloys with deep expertise in spring applications, precision slitting, edging, and oscillate winding.
